NYFiscalWatch.com, the Manhattan Institute’s seven-year-old website focusing on New York budget and finance issues, has been updated and expanded into a blog featuring daily commentary by two of the Institute’s leading analysts—E.J. McMahon and Nicole Gelinas. McMahon, the Institute’s senior fellow for tax and budgetary studies, is also director of the Empire Center for Public Policy. Gelinas is a Manhattan Institute senior fellow and contributing editor of City Journal.

Visit NYFiscalWatch today for commentary on New York’s economy and budget. NYFiscalWatch

About the Author

Tim Hoefer

Tim Hoefer is president & CEO of the Empire Center for Public Policy.

Read more by Tim Hoefer

You may also like

What They Make 2026: North Country

Lewis County employees held nine of the North Country's ten highest-paid local government positions in fiscal year 2025-26, most of them physicians and medical staff, . Jeffery Hellinger, a Lewis County employee, was the highest paid, at $265,978. Read More

What They Make 2026: Mohawk Valley

Eight local government employees in the Mohawk Valley had gross pensionable earnings of more than $200,000 in fiscal year 2025-26, . Four were county elected officials and three were Oneida County correction officers. The highest paid was Christina Pea Read More

What They Make 2026: Southern Tier

Mary Nobilski, a Steuben County employee, was the Southern Tier's highest-paid local government employee in fiscal year 2025-26, at $309,582, . She was the only local employee in the region paid more than Governor Hochul's $250,000 salary. Stat Read More

What They Make 2026: Central New York

Syracuse police officers held all ten of the highest-paid local government positions in Central New York during fiscal year 2025-26, . John Tassini was the highest paid, at $282,861. Statewide, the 179,222 employees of New York's counties, citi Read More

What They Make 2026: Finger Lakes

Rochester police officers held eight of the ten highest-paid local government positions in the Finger Lakes region during fiscal year 2025-26, . Robert Hill was the region's highest-paid employee, at $314,040. Statewide, the 179,222 employees o Read More

What They Make 2026: Western New York

Erie County deputy sheriff Simon Biegasiewicz was Western New York's highest-paid local government employee in fiscal year 2025-26, at $305,077, followed by Buffalo firefighter Daniel Bossi at $300,488, . They were the only two local employees in the r Read More

What They Make 2026: Capital Region

An Albany police officer, Willie Flack, was the Capital Region's highest-paid local government employee in fiscal year 2025-26, at $279,370, . Police officers in Albany, Schenectady and Troy and the Town of Colonie held six of the region's ten highest- Read More

What They Make 2026: Mid-Hudson

Town of Ramapo police officers held four of the five highest-paid local government positions in the Mid-Hudson region during fiscal year 2025-26, led by Daniel Hyman at $421,338, the second-highest local government pay in the state, . Statewide Read More